Electric Guitars

[realtree71]

Some songs with some without. But when I practice I try to spend equil time without. I love the tone without but for me it's hard to get use to

[soundcreation]

I used to feel exactly the same way. But then I started to discover some of the texturing and note combinations you can achieve by plucking combinations of strings simultaneously that just can't be accomplished with a pick. Now, for me at least, it's like anything else...I switch it up depending on what I want to accomplish. The right tool and the right technique for the task at hand.

Right...but that's what I meant by "if it's necessary for the part". If I need the sound of two stings played at once plucked then I will use it.

But for 99% of what I play....I think fingers sound terrible.

[PrawnHeed]

I'm am curious as to how many people use their nails when finger picking vs using the fleshy part..

Both. Not as important on electric, but on acoustics, and especially nylon strings, you can vary the tone considerably by changing the amount of nail. Go to a classical guitar site and there's probably a whole subforum dedicated to nails. How to file them, how to repair them, what to eat to strengthen them, ...

[PeaveyPlayer]

All depends on the song but given a choice, I would play with a pick.

[csm]

Can't fingerpick for shit, and never could -- but I use hybrid picking for practically everything, electric and acoustic.

[BydoEmpire]

I'm am curious as to how many people use their nails when finger picking vs using the fleshy part..

I bite my nails, so in order to minimize that I clip them down as short as possible so I always just use the fleshy part. I have no nails to pick with!

[pathofspirit]

I can't fingerpick in terms on acoustic/folk type patterns. However, many of my favorite blues players don't use picks. Otis Rush just used his fingers as did Albert Collins and Hubert Sumlin. And Albert King just used his thumb. So that's what I've been focusing on these days. Speed isn't an issue in blues but tone and picking dynamics are and the thumb/fingers offers good options for both.

[Faber]

I've gone from almost exculively a pck player to roughly 50/50 % fingerpicking and pick. Mainly due to wanting to focus on chord melody and folk blues styles. I love the sound of fingers on string, and it does free up my picking and give me more options in how to attack, doing counterpoint etc. Interestingly practicing fingerpicking patterns with a steady bass/thumb gong also seem to improve my time with the pick I still struggle to get the same fluidity to single note lines with fingers as with a pick, and so far I havn't been able to get an even funk strumming sound that I like with fngers.

[mister natural]

yep - both Beck & I play a strat w/ fingers :=)

[AaronF]

I went pickless for a while. I went back to a pick after I tried out a V-pick (the one that looks like a Jazz III). I've noticed that since I went back to a pick, I really do a ton of hybrid picking. I sometimes practice without a pick and then use one when I'm playing out or with others.

[DarkHorseJ27]

I went pickless for a while. I went back to a pick after I tried out a V-pick (the one that looks like a Jazz III). I've noticed that since I went back to a pick, I really do a ton of hybrid picking. I sometimes practice without a pick and then use one when I'm playing out or with others.

I have that same pick, and its a great sounding pick on electrics (acoustics not so much). When I get back into electric playing a little more it'll probably be the main reason I'm using a pick. Too bad they are like $4 a pick a quite hard to find if you drop them.

[AaronF]

I have that same pick, and its a great sounding pick on electrics (acoustics not so much). When I get back into electric playing a little more it'll probably be the main reason I'm using a pick. Too bad they are like $4 a pick a quite hard to find if you drop them.

They are expensive, but I think I tend to be very careful with where I keep them as a result. I've never lost one. Dropping them does suck, my best way of finding them is to place my head on the ground and look parallel to the floor. One of these days I might just put a little dob of orange nail polish on one side of them.

[Blackface]

On electric it's probably 50/50. On acoustic it's probably fingers 95 pick 5. I only use my fingertips and not nails.

[humbuckerstrat]

Very tasty and deep in the pocket. Sounded very Gilmour-ish :thu:

[DarkHorseJ27]

They are expensive, but I think I tend to be very careful with where I keep them as a result. I've never lost one. Dropping them does suck, my best way of finding them is to place my head on the ground and look parallel to the floor. One of these days I might just put a little dob of orange nail polish on one side of them.

I'm quite careful with mine, and whenever its ended up on the floor it was as a result of the cat thinking it's amusing to knock stuff over onto the floor. I've always been able to find it fortunately. They also make red and green ones that glow in the dark now, in response to complaints about how hard they are to find when dropped.

[sammyreynolds01]

I can't fingerpick either but when I play slide I use my fingers.

[HeimBrent]

It depends on the song. And that goes for both electric and acoustic. I always use picks when I play bass, though. The long guitar-nails doesn't seem to work that well when it comes to the bass. But I digress.

[humbuckerstrat]

I can't fingerpick either but when I play slide I use my fingers.

That's the only way to properly do right-hand string muting when playing slide.

[Yngtchie Black…]

Very tasty and deep in the pocket. Sounded very Gilmour-ish :thu:

Much appreciated. I get the Gilmour thing a lot, but he uses a pick most of the time. Is it the note choice?

[humbuckerstrat]

Much appreciated. I get the Gilmour thing a lot, but he uses a pick most of the time. Is it the note choice?

Yeah, it must be the note choice because as far as I can tell Gilmour always uses a pick.